uring the Covid pandemic the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ( LVCVA ) has been keeping in the international spotlight for event organisers via its global sales team taking a consistent presence in international markets through webinars , panels and conferences . The audiences for these virtual events span meeting planners , travel agents and tour operators .

“ Although international travel has yet to resume from many regions of the world , it ’ s important that we keep the destination top of mind to keep contacts in the international travel industry apprised of the latest developments and safety measures in place in Las Vegas ,” the LVCVA tells CMW .

As of the beginning of September there are no capacity restrictions in place in Las Vegas although there is a continual monitoring of Covid and vaccination trends , and local and state government have re-implemented indoor mask mandates in accordance with CDC recommendations .

Visitation numbers for 2020 were 19,031,100 , unsurprisingly down from the 2019 figure of 42,523,700 , while the year-to-date visitation number as of the end of June 2021 was 13,487,300 . More figures are available on the LVCVA ’ s visitation stats webpage : https :// www . lvcva . com / research / visitor-statistics /

In terms of investments made in the events infrastructure in Las Vegas over this recent period , Las Vegas has lived up to its reputation for constant evolution and innovation .

During the pandemic all major construction projects continued to move forward .

Three new resorts have opened :

• Circa – First ground-up casino built in downtown Las Vegas in 40 years . It is also the first billion-dollar casino built downtown . Opened October 2020

• Virgin Hotel – Soft opened in March 2021 . It has been a complete transformation of the former Hard Rock hotel and achieved through a partnership with Mohegan Sun Tribal Casino out of Connecticut

• Resorts World – Opened in June 2021 , this massive 3,500 room integrated resort already boasts a powerhouse entertainment line up of Celine Dion , Carrie Underwood , Katy Perry , Tiesto , Luke Bryan and Zedd .

Additional major developments include the Allegiant Stadium – an NFL stadium adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip ; a billion-dollar Convention Center expansion project involving 1.4m sq . ft ( 130,064sqm ), pushing the Las Vegas total to 14m sq . ft of meeting and convention space . There are also the AREA15 experiential retail and entertainment complex and MSG Sphere which has a targeted opening in 2023 .

“ The addition of 2m sq . ft . of meetings and event space will allow us to focus on bringing more events to the destination , as well as the growth of the events that are already here ,” an LVCVA spokesperson tells CMW , adding : “ The addition of new properties means more hotel rooms , but also more restaurants , entertainment , attractions , spas , shopping and more for guests to experience , and getting the word out about all the latest and greatest offerings is key to building travel excitement for both leisure and business visitors .”

Las Vegas continues its evolution into the Sports Capital of the World , meanwhile , with new teams , venues , and special events . Since 2017 the city has

Above : LVCVA CEO and president Steve Hill , 17 August , 2021 , announces SIAL America ’ s inaugural food and beverage trade show in Las Vegas , scheduled for March 2022 . ( Sam Morris , LVCVA / Las Vegas News Bureau )

welcomed the NHL ’ s Vegas Golden Knights , the WNBA ’ s Las Vegas Aces , the NFL ’ s Las Vegas Raiders , USL ’ s Las Vegas Lights FC and the AHL ’ s Henderson Silver Knights , as well as adding Las Vegas Ballpark , the new home for our MiLB team , the Las Vegas Aviators , and Allegiant Stadium , home of the Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV Football .

For meetings and events organisers the Vegas value proposition includes 150,000 hotel rooms and McCarran International Airport just two miles from Las Vegas Boulevard and 3.5 miles from the Las Vegas Convention Center .

The LVCVA lists the destination ’ s top three convention venues :

• Las Vegas Convention Center

• Mandalay Bay Convention Center

• The Sands Expo .

The Las Vegas Convention Center reports a robust schedule of more than 40 bookings for the second half of 2021 . Major upcoming events at the LVCC include MINEXPO ( 13-15 September ), IPW 2021 ( 20-21 September ), NAB Show 2021 ( 10-13 October ), National Hardware Show 2021 ( 21-23 October ), The SEMA Show ( 2-5 November ). See more at the Las Vegas Convention Calendar : https :// www . vegasmeansbusiness . com / planning-tools / convention-calendar /

Latest technology runs the gamut from livestreams to indoor and outdoor mega-screens .

And , with an average of 320 days of sunshine per year , the offer adds up to a hot one .